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The Rule of Two: Realization
Under The Cover of Night; A Friendly Assimilation Towards the shores of Okinawa Islands, a lone boat was moving through the calm and soft current of the ocean. The only sound within the area was the loud, rhythmic growl of the engines as it propelled the metallic body forward. Its sleek, grey form was constantly being slapped by the froth and splashing of the waters, but it did not stop, being the machine that it was. The moon-light shone on its form, almost as if lighting the way for the trio that was within. 19-year-old Atsushi Chiba looked over from the steering wheel for a moment to look over at Tamafune, who had Evelyn's head resting on her lap as she seat in one "bench" part of the boat. Evelyn's eyes were closed, and she seemed to ignore the fact that Tama was keeping one of her palms pressed on her forehead. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, clearly exhausted from having to travel for such a long time. "How's your patient?" He asked dryly, prompting the young girl to look up. "She's fine...." A small smile crossed her face, and she looked down on the woman in question. "I managed to stop the bleeding and seal her wounds. Obviously, I couldn't do anything about the fact that she has one arm, but.... she's alive, at least." Her own voice showed weariness, as if she had stayed up the moment they had started their trip. "Ugh....good for her...." A slight groan came from Atsushi as he turned back around, flopping his head down onto the wheel. "I hope I don't have to do much more of this shit in the future. Can't believe I'm saying it, but I think the smithing was more more entertaining than standing here all day just to drive this boat...." "No kidding...." Tamafune agreed, closing her eyes and leaning her head back so it could face the night sky. "I don't think I could drive a motorcycle again, after what happened." Atsushi smirked, raising his head up and turning back around to face Tama. "What, couldn't handle a little Kidō? You must be younger than we all thought, huh, little sister?" His smirk only increased in size when he saw her bristle indignantly, jerking her face forward in order to meet his smug look with an annoyed look of her own. "Stop calling me that, you jerk!" She snapped. "What? Can't help but say the truth. You know it fits you...." All of a sudden, the wind around them began to pick up and forced the boat to actually speed up slightly. The sloshes of water that were previously hitting them began to become somewhat stronger, and some of it actually ended up getting into the boat just enough to get parts of it wet... "Oh, hell, no...." Atsushi growled, gritting his teeth slightly at the picking up of the wind around them. "I will be damned if we get a storm when we're almost there!" He gunned the boat even faster, pushing the speed in order to quickly get to the island. He ignored the slight protests of Tamafune as the bump started rocking and bumping a little. Of course, this caused Evelyn to stir and the young girl to turn her attention towards her. "Ah! I see you're awake...." She commented, giving an encouraging smile. "You able to stand?" "....yes...." After getting her ground, Evelyn grunted as she pushed herself up to a sitting position. Her eyes were shut, contorted in slight pain. She slowly reached to grasp the armless stump, now bandaged and cleaned up. "I'm fine.... for the most part." The wind then began to oddly shift it's direction, this time opposing the boat rather than forcing it. This wind was sturdy and strong, but gentle at the same time. It was enough to essentially keep the boat in a slow pace, despite how hard Atsushi was pushing on the gas. Suddenley, a crow could be heard cawing and eventually seen flying across the moonlight. It circled the boat nearly 3 times before landing on the right side of the craft's edge. It was rather large for a crow, and it's yellow eyes looked straight into the pained face of Evelyn. As the bird certainly would have caught the trio off guard, none of them noticed a muscular, hooded figure with black hair strands flowing from his concealed head, standing on the very edge of the boat with just the tip of his boot. Despite his menacing appearance, a serene and peaceful aura could be felt around him. Atsushi was intelligent to know that the wind's sudden change was not due to nature. Letting out an angry growl, the teenager abruptly spun around, expression and body language showing anger and annoyance. "All right, who's the--" However, he immediately stopped upon seeing the scene, eyes widening in surprise. Tamafune matched his expression, looking at the man as well as the bird and switching her gaze from one to another as the seconds passed. However, Evelyn did not react at all, although she did lower her arm to her lap and turning her face towards the man's direction. There was a silence as they looked at the silent, hooded individual stood on the edge of the boat. Atsushi was the first to break it, eyebrows furrowing and a frown crossing his face. "Ok, Mr. King-of-the-World." He sniffed. "Please get off my boat's edge and explain why you're here and having your creepy bird staring at our evacuee, before I turn this thing and knock you into the water." His tone was rude, sarcastic, and clearly not welcoming. The being kept his pose, while slowly tilting his head up to where the trio could see his solid orange eyes, his arms crossed as he retained his stance. "My apologies. I would have preferred to land on a solid surface rather than the water." The crow then cawed as it flew over to the man's left shoulder. He himself then stepped off of the boat onto the water, standing on it as if though he was walking on solid ground while his arms were still crossed. "Is that more to your liking, boy?" he said with a calm, yet empty voice. The boat ended up zooming past him due to his position, courtesy of his move to step out of the vehicle. "....wow...." Atsushi muttered, looking forward as his boat left the man behind. To his relief, he could see that they were only a few minutes away from the shoreline. "Someone's obviously come from the mental institution of complete stupidity." WHOOSH! Before any of them realized it, the being Flash-Stepped right back into the previous position that he was in on the boat. His arms still crossed and he still stood on the tip of his boot, the crow still perched on his left shoulder. His hooded face tilted down to where no one could see his face or his eyes. "Ah~!!" A startled yell came from Tamafune, and she almost fell off the boat at the sudden appearance of the strange individual. "O-ok.... he's fast.... we know that now...." She muttered, unconsciously leaning against a silent Evelyn as she tried to regain her breath. "Probably would be better if we knew his name, but.... I'm too afraid to ask...." "....my god, man." Atsushi slapped a palm to his face, holding his head down in annoyance. "We really don't have time for your horse-shit, whoever you are. Why don't you go back to whatever mental institution you came from? I'm sure someone's going to call looking for the crow-type, male version of an insane cat-lady." The being simply chuckled as he looked towards Atsushi. "Institution? If by institution, you mean centuries of confinement and solitude on top of a large mountain range, then yes, I am from an institution. Based on your mannerisms towards your elders, I would suggest that you do the same at some point in time." He turned his orange eyes towards Tamafune. "Fear not. I am a friend of Qilin's. You have nothing to fear from me, young one." He then looked over at Evelyn, noticing her missing arm. "You....I recognize your aura from someone I had thought long disappeared." Hesitantly, Tamafune relaxed, but remained silent when he addressed Evelyn. However, her eyes widened in alarm when Atsushi narrowed his eyes and scowled, glaring at the masked man. "How about I suggest you to get off my boat before I shove my foot up your--" "Ahem, Atsushi!" The young girl exclaimed, cutting him off before he could get any further. "Let's not start a fight here, of all places...." She relaxed when the boy snorted, rolling his eyes and turning back to his driving. "Whatever...." Evelyn had her eyes closed, yet her expression made it seem like she was looking him over. She bent over, grasping her staff in her hand and resting it on her shoulder. "Just who exactly are you referring to when you say that?" She questioned him, her eyebrows furrowing. The being regained his pose as his crow flew off of his shoulder and began to circle the boat. "Well...two people actually. You are a McTavish, correct?" "Yes." Traditionally, Evelyn answered honestly. Her body tensed slightly as she felt the boat slow down to a crawl upon reaching the sandy shores, and she slowly allowed herself to stand up along with Tamafune. "Who exactly did you meet out of my family?" He then took off his dark hood, revealing a battle worn Hollow Mask and pale skin, along with shoulder length black hair. "Your husband and I fought togather a couple of months ago. Your daughter and I helped rescue him and his comrades from a high level security prison." "I don't have a daughter." Evelyn answered, sticking one end of her staff to the floor of the boat. She moved aside as Tamafune and Atsushi moved to jump out of the boat and land on the sands. "Only a husband and son." The man then stepped off of the boat as well, still keeping his gaze on her. "Hmm..." He then remembered the story that Brina had told him on their way to New York, how she had apparentley butchered her parent in the deep of night and left her there, assuming that she was done and gone. But now that she stood before him, carrying a somewhat resentful aura around her in terms of her daughter, he quickly grasped the situation. "I see...." he said as his crow landed on the sands and began to pick at a small infant turtle, before quickly slamming it's jaws down on the small creature and swallowing it whole. "....I think I have a reason to fear birds now...." As Evelyn stepped out of the boat, Tamafune cringed at the crow as it made short work and dinner of the poor turtle. She just didn't like to see brutality committed, even if it was animal on animal. What was unnerving her even more was that she thought to have seen the flash of teeth within the beak of the crow when it had bit down on the turtle. "Gives you more reason to dismiss him as a loony." Atsushi sniffed, folding his arms across his chest and turning his head away. The bird then flared it's white teeth and flew right into Atsushi's face, snarling and hissing at him as it's yellow eyes transformed into a blood red. The Vizard snapped his fingers and the bird quickly withdrew to it's master's shoulder as he put his hood back on and began to walk towards the island beyond the sands. Needless to say, Atsushi went from calm to angry in less than a second. Tamafune, having been right beside him, had turned pale and almost fainted right then and there. He clenched his fists, glaring daggers into the Visored's back as he walked away with Evelyn quickly following close behind, seemingly knowing where he was going. "That son of a bitch...!" He seethed, wanting nothing more than to punch a few holes into the man right then and there. The crow had acted on its own, and the Visored may have been only calling it back. However, it might as well have been just one possibility, the other being that the stranger had did that on his own. It was the possibility that he was leaning towards as well as the one used to justify his anger. In a matter of fact, he was stepping forward after him in order to put his want to effect. However, he was stopped when Tamafune placed a hand on his shoulder in order to stop him. Instinctively, he jerked his head towards her out of his anger, only to meet a worried gaze. She simply closed her eyes and shook her head - a signal for him not to attack. In response, he scowled and shook his hand off, moving to catch up. It was the only thing that was keeping him from becoming violent and aggressive towards the newcomer. As Tamafune followed behind the boy, he continued to glare into the stranger's back as he caught up. "I bet you don't even know where we're supposed to go." He said irritably, his arms folded across his chest. "On the contrary. I knew Qilin before any of you were born." the being said, still walking towards the top of the island before stopping and looking to his left and right. He then looked at his crow and nudged it with his shoulder slightly. "In fact, I helped him find this hiding place." The bird then flew off of him and remained in the air as the being then crouched down, one knee on the ground and the other sat up, his hand on the standing knee. "I'll see you all there." WHOOSH! With a single Flash-Step, the man disappeared from view with no trace of his existance left behind. "....I hope Qilin ends up killing that freak." Atsushi muttered, unfolding his arms across his chest and closing his eyes in disdain. "He's really getting on my nerves." He started walking again towards a slightly surprised Evelyn, stopping when he was near her. Tamafune followed right behind him, folding her arms behind her back while looking at him in slight amusement. "Maybe you're getting on his. I'm surprised he didn't just kill you for even opening your mouth." "Yeah, yeah...." Waving off the comment made towards him, Atsushi looked over towards Evelyn and cleared his throat. "C'mon, lady. We're going to take the usual route to the caves. Stay close behind us, or we'll leave you behind." Although still carrying a rude demeanor, his voice was a bit lighter than what it was before. Evelyn nodded calmly. "I'm right behind you two." She assured them, her voice serene and calm. Following this statement, the three vanished with their own Flash Steps, with Evelyn keeping pace behind what would be the slower leaders. ---- The interior of the cave was a network of hallways, all of them made of the very rock that made up the cave itself. All of these hallways were lit up with torches, their flames seemingly burning eternally as they lit the way for anyone who traversed the cave's depths. One of the hallways led to the correct area; everywhere else was nothing more than a dead end. The "right" area was an expansive area, vibrantly lit with torches in a manner that made it seem like there was artificial lighting instead of the natural fire that it was. In sections of the floor, there were pools of water that dominated at least half of the ground. The other half was dominated by earth. It was like standing out on an island in the middle of the ocean. Within a section of the earth-covered ground, a lone man was sitting on top of the back of an unidentified creature's skeleton, the foundation as massive as a truck. The back was flattened and panned out in the manner similar to a wide table-top. He was blowing a stream of fire onto a sword every ten seconds before checking it, the metal white-hot. Then, he would blow on it again, hammering it so that it could meet a certain shape. This was the work of 25-year-old Qilin, the Spiritsmith. And sure enough, leaning up against the rock wall to his left was the stranger that the trio had met earlier at the beach, his arms crossed and his hood down. In the light, one could see that he was a muscular figure with no shirt, a purple piece of clothing around his neck that was his hood, his torso area down was covered in a black and purple garmet of sorts with various bone pieces and symbols, as well as a pair of boots and gloves with similar bone pieces on them. His mask was blank and his eyes were closed as his black hair dangled around his upper area. "....you could at least say something, Kafezial." Qilin stopped working on his sword for a moment, looking over at the man with light exasperation. "Appearing and just standing there without so much as a "hello" is kind of rude...." He said, a slightly complaining tone in his voice. With his free hand holding a hammer, he used his sword hand to raise up the blade and inspect it once more. Kafiezial simply chuckled slightly, retaining his pose but glancing up at Qilin's direction. "I don't need to say hello. Ruexleez and I have already greeted these three, but I'll say it again if you so wish." Ruexleez of course being his crow, which was oddly no where in sight. "You mean, those three." Qilin corrected him, putting down the sword when he was satisfied with how it looked. "I'm surprised you just decided to up and leave them in the dust like that. Though, I can probably guess why you did...." A small grin crossed his face. "Atsushi's rebel-boy attitude was getting to you, right?" He chuckled a little more as he looked back up to Qilin once again. "Were you and I so different?" he said with his trademark serene voice. "Can't really say...." Qilin admitted, cracking his neck to one side before allowing himself to his feet. "After all, I'm the one who might as well have raised Atsushi. You, on the other hand, just met the guy...." He jumped off of the skeleton and onto the ground opposite of where Kafezial was leaning. He directed his gaze towards the entrance to the area, where he could see the figures of the trio as they made their way into the cave. "Hey, Qilin!!" Atsushi called out, picking up the pace as he approached the older man. "Some masked freak just came onto the boat while I was driving it, claiming to be your friend or something like that. Did you kill him already?" The women behind him were silent, with Tamafune stuffing her hands in her coat pockets, and Evelyn simply standing there. Kafiezial then casually stood up from his spot and folded his arms behind his back, waiting for his friend to answer. "W-wait a minute, seriously?!" From the rather innocent, curious look on Qilin's face as well as the way Kafiezial casually strode up from behind him (which irked him even more), the claim of friendship had been non-verbally confirmed. Tamafune had to chuckle a little at Atsushi's expression of shock and disbelief as he stared at the pair. "You're actually friends with this guy?!" He gasped. "Wow, what kind of wierdos were you hanging out when you were going to school?" Qilin closed his eyes and shrugged, keeping a casual smile. "The best kind, my friend." He answered smoothly with a bit of enthusiasm, having gotten himself used to Atsushi's insults and jeers. He looked over his shoulder at the older man, folding his arms across his chest. "You guys haven't been formally introduced, have you?" Kafiezial simply retained his pose. "No, I apologize. I have made a bad impression on him." He then tilted his head to where he was looking at Atsushi's face. "My name is Kafiezial. It is a pleasure to meet you Atsushi." he said calmly, knowing that the boy was only going to get worse, but he paid it no mind. He wasn't intentionally trying to jeer him after all... "Oh, now you're trying to be nice while in the presence of your best friend." Atsushi said in a snappish tone. "What's the matter? You suddenly lose your backbone?" He continued to glare at Kafiezial as he spoke, causing Tamafune to slide a hand to her face out of slight frustration. However, she knew that once Atsushi was angry, he was going to keep it up, no matter what. And he was right, as always. Kafiezial chuckled somewhat as he held out his left hand. "You'll forgive Ruexleez..." Suddenley, right from behind Atsushi's shoulder flew the same menacing crow from before, perching right on Kafiezial's extended arm, glaring at the trio with it's menacing yellow eyes. "...he's very weary of strangers. I'm surprised he didn't defy my order to return in place of biting you like he wished." he continued. "Yeah, well, I would've crushed the thing's skull in and cooked it for dinner." Atsushi shot back, smirking. "What's a stupid bird going to do to the likes of me?" Ruexleez's eyes turned blood red and it bared it's teeth again, hissing and snarling like before. Until his master thumped him in the right side of his head, effectively silencing it. "Trust me, you don't want to know." "Yeah, whatever, you freak." Scoffing, Atsushi abruptly turned away from the crow's master and walked off, ignoring a comically cowering Tamafune who was using the taller Evelyn as a means to make herself invisible to the crow. "I'm outta here, Qilin. Have fun with your boyfriend..." He called over his shoulder with a sarcastic drawl, before performing a Flash Step and vanishing from the area. Once he was gone, Qilin sighed heavily and placed a palm to his face, shaking his head. "I'll say the same thing for him as you did for your bird. You'll have to excuse him, he can't adjust quickly enough to the likes of who he considers to be strangers...." "Especially ones with such a creepy visage...." Tamafune whispered, still hiding behind the silent Evelyn. Kafiezial kept his pose as his crow left his hold and landed in front of Evelyn, looking up at her with calm yellow eyes, almost as if it was curious about her. His master simply sighed. "I understand. It's not every day someone runs into a Vizard who cannot rid themselves of this curse." he said, referring to the Hollow Mask that was permanatley merged with his face. This managed to catch Evelyn's attention. Not expecting the crow to turn docile so quickly, Evelyn leaned down towards the bird and inadvertently caused Tamafune to jump away out of instinct. However, the fact that the other female seemed to be calm around the creature resulted in her still being close while still retaining a cautious position. Out of the group, it seemed as if the crow was more interested in the blind woman than anything else. "Talk about strange..." She thought to herself, looking on as Evelyn "looked" at the bird with her closed eyes. Then, Evelyn looked up towards Kafeziel and allowed herself to speak. "You have a rather interesting taste in your pets..." She commented, looking back up towards the bird and lifting a finger out, half-expecting it to hop up onto the said finger. Sure enough, the now docile crow gently perched itself on her outstanded finger, almost feeling as if it weighed nothing. Kafiezial let his arms fall to his side. "I don't know where he came from or what he is exactly, but I've had him with me ever since I was a boy." He then crossed his arms. "It's almost as if it's another being entirely. I've seen him get cut in half, courtesy of your husband, and even sacrifice itself for the sake of another...yet it always seems to come back to me. He seems to have taken a liking to you however." Slowly, Evelyn stood back up with the crow on her finger, smiling a little. "So I see...." "Uhm, Qilin...." Tamafune had chosen this time to speak up to the spiritsmith, finding the courage to get from behind Evelyn and stand beside her. Her eyes were calm, yet curious. "Didn't you call Evelyn here in order for a job or something like that?" "I did--? Oh, that's right!" Qilin was confused by the statement for only a split-second before he recovered, nodding in acknowledgement. "I apologize for forgetting...." He said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Immediately, he turned on his heel and walked back over to his skeleton. "If you would, please follow me and sit with me so we can talk about my proposal. I'm sure you have many questions on your mind, as of now, and I'd be more than happy to answer them." The crow looked at Evelyn for a few more moments, before gently flying off of her finger and out of the cave, going to find food presumidibly. Kafiezial simply nodded as he moved from the woman's line of "sight" for her to meet Qilin. As he did so, he glanced over to Tamafune and nodded to her in a friendly manner as well. "Ok.... maybe he's not so bad...." As young as she was, Tamafune could read emotions as good as the next person. So when Kafezial nodded to her, she knew it to be a friendly gesture. So, she allowed herself to smile and give a nod back, her body relaxing from its tension as she moved to follow Qilin along with Evelyn. Maybe she would get along with him more than she thought she would have.... As soon as he made it, Qilin promptly sat himself down on the ground, which was somewhat flat and smooth. Evelyn followed suit, her staff in her lap and her lone arm resting within it. Her closed eyes were directing themselves towards Qilin, waiting for him to speak. "Now...." Qilin, despite knowing that she was blind, would have been her straight into those eyes if her lids hadn't been covering them. Even as he spoke in a professional tone, it still held a casual and positive that could lighten potential tension within the area. "Before I follow through with this proposal, feel free to ask me questions concerning the events that happened prior to our present time." Evelyn nodded in acknowledgement. "All right, then...." She began, her voice soft and formal as she spoke. "How did you know about me as well as where to find me?" Qilin's smile grew wider. "Well, I'll be honest with you...." He said, leaning forward, folding his own hands within his lap as he did so. "Ever since your defection, the Inner Circle has been keeping an eye on you as well as your actions. A famous alias like yours doesn't hide behind popular ears.... Miss Tiger Snake...." Slowly, Evelyn opened one of her eyes to a half-lidded position - a signal that she was surprised. "Wait a minute, Tiger Snake?" Tamafune repeated, directing her attention towards her bladesmithing master with a mix of confusion and surprise of her own. "You mean to say that this woman is actually the sōjutsu legend of the Gotei 13?!" Evelyn closed her eye. "I understand. It's hard to believe, considering I lost an arm to my opponent hours before...." She stated calmly. "And I never really accepted the nickname as my own, only tolerated it and took it with granted. I didn't think such a name would reach so far as to Soul Reapers within the World of the Living...." "Normally, it wouldn't have." Qilin said. "But, like I said, the Inner Circle has been keeping a curious eye on you as of late. Considering how powerful and skilled you are in combat, they want to make sure that you don't become too much of a threat to their plans.... or, so I hear. However, I myself am considered neutral in their affairs, only serving as a messenger or some other light role apart from the dirty work that they're famous for. Make no mistake, I'm not trying to recruit you into anything you wouldn't want." "Then what do you want?" Evelyn asked coolly, a bit of firmness and sternness in her voice. "I want to hire you as my bodyguard." Qilin answered readily, the smile returning to his face as quickly as it had faded. "You see, because of my popular status as the Spiritsmith, there are some ruffians who want to push me out of my neutral and balanced position so that they can have blades to wreck the very fabric of existence. It's a royal pain in my rear end to have to deal with it on my own, and a powerful, jobless nomad such as yourself fits my standards to a T...." "You expect me to take up my sword again, after I've tried to retire from a life of blood-shed?" Evelyn asked him, slight anger in her tone. "Just because you are too weak to defend yourself?" Kafiezial decided to give in his take to assist Qilin. "Despite their prowess, I doubt that Qilin and his apprentices would be able to handle Rushifa Sureiya on their own." He lowered his head somewhat as he crossed his arms. "Gods know what he is planning to do now." "I can guess...." Qilin offered helpfully. "Since we're the ones who helped you escape from his clutches.... he might use that to track me here. He'll find this island, and if he can, use us as bait to lure you straight into his hands." The words were enough to make Tamafune pale immediately, her expression contorting to apprehension and horror. "Y....you mean that maniac could find and kill us?!" She repeated, her heart beating a little faster. She may have been brave when she had rescued Evelyn, but that was within the heat and thrill of the moment. In an environment such as this, she could not be worse off if they dared come knocking on their doorstep. Qilin nodded. "Mhm... or at the very least, capture all of us and resort to much more torturous methods--" "Ok, stop. Please." The young girl begged, placing one hand on one side of her face and lowering her head down. "I don't want to think about that. Ever. So please stop talking about it!" A weak smile came across the Spiritsmith's face. "....sorry, Tama-chan. I was just stating facts, but I prefer not to upset anyone...." Kafiezial turned his words to Tamafune in an attempt to comfort her. "Don't worry. Rushifa is persistant and ruthless, but he would never harm someone as young as yourself. During the chase on the highway, I doubt that he could fully recognize your age." As he did so, Qilin allowed himself to turn back towards Evelyn, the smile fading away once more. "I know it might seem like I'm doing this out of my own selfish benefit. But, I assure you that it's not the case. Considering how ruthless the Black Wolf is, I don't want to see any more die because of his beliefs. We'll help you in any way we can...." "How would being your bodyguard service me....?" Evelyn questioned him, unmovable in her position. "Well, for one...." With a gesture, Qilin motioned to her arm (although he knew it was pointless, considering that she was blind). "We could take care of that arm for you and give you a better chance of protecting yourself. On top of that, you can also stay on these islands for the time being." The smile came to his face once again. "Don't worry. Not too far from this location is a beach house that my apprentices have been staying in when they're not working here. And I get paid more than I would've needed for my work, so...." The man's shoulders raised and fell in a light shrug. "You're pretty much free to stay here and recuperate for the time being." "....I see...." Evelyn lowered her head down for a moment, her expression contorting into slight thought. "If you really insist, then I guess I have no choice. I'll stay here for the time being." "Excellent!" Qilin immediately clapped his hands together, his expression cheery once again. "Glad to see you've agreed. Tamafune, if you would, please show this woman to the home and get her accommodated." Tamafune nodded, a small smile on her own face appearing. "Sure thing, boss...." Slowly, she stood up, looking on as Evelyn did the same. "C'mon, miss!" With that, she walked away, and the blind woman simply followed her in the cool and silent manner that she had came in. Kafiezial waited until he was sure that the duo was out of range to be heard and seen before speaking to Qilin, his voice low but concerned. "She has been through so much, and there is darkness in her heart. Just like the Black Wolf's." "Yeah...." Qilin closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, allowing himself to stand back up on his feet. His hands dusted his pants off, and he continued speaking in his light, but serious tone. "It's quite an off-beat thought, you know? Such a similar bitterness within their hearts, yet such conflicting views they hold against one another. It's gonna be quite hard trying to move her out of that particular spot, but it can't hurt to give it a shot, right?" The Vizard folded his arms across his back as he continued. "True. Everyone deserves a second chance, regardless of their previous lives. In fact, the only way that I can see them overcoming this darkness is to face each other once more..."